For some time now, Apple presentations have had few secrets left to reveal before they start. Apple’s first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, is now an announced reality. A device with a high price that arrives as the first emblem of the company’s new CEO, John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook on September 1st, the man who has led the company for the past 15 years, since the retirement and passing of co-founder Steve Jobs. He even uttered the three words that characterized his most emblematic presentations: ”One more thing”.
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Although foldable phones have not been exactly bestsellers, companies like Samsung had managed to establish the category since its first launch in 2019. Apple arrives seven years later with a phone that starts from an unusual folded format, with a 5.4-inch screen, which practically transforms into an iPad mini when unfolded, with a size of 7.6 inches. That is the reason it is called Duo. It is a phone that becomes a tablet and vice versa. In recent months, a similar proportion of screens has already been launched by other competitors, such as Samsung and Xiaomi.
Apple wants to try to turn around those testimonial sales of foldables, for which it has designed this format, unprecedented until this very year, although some brands have beaten it to it. A second key element of the iPhone Duo is the fold in the middle of the foldable screen, which the Cupertino company has worked on to try to reduce to its minimum expression. Judging by what was shown in the presentation, it has succeeded.
The most basic version of the iPhone Duo has 256 gigabytes of storage and costs 2,339 euros in Spain. It can be reserved from October 16 and will be available on October 23. It should be noted that in recent months the cost of memories has skyrocketed due to the high demand for components for artificial intelligence data centers. Apple’s foldable phone incorporates the new A20 Pro chip, the second with 2-nanometer transistors, after the August launch of the M6 chip for Mac. It is the same chip that powers the top-of-the-line models presented at the same event, the iPhone 18 Pro Max and 18 Pro.
The iPhone Duo has two rear cameras of 48 megapixels and another of 12 megapixels for videoconferences. Its folding system consists of a highly complex and very resistant hinge, made of grade 5 titanium. When the phone hits stores, we will see videos from all those who will try to put Apple’s engineering to the test in search of a few clicks. The unfolded screen is compatible with the Apple Pencil stylus and comes in only two colors: white and dark blue.
Alongside the foldable, Apple also presented the iPhone 18 Pro Max and 18 Pro, which maintain the same design as the iPhone 17 Pro Max and 17 Pro. The new models feature a reduction of the Dynamic Island, the dark area at the top of the screen that houses the camera and sensors of the FaceID facial recognition system, and a lens with a mechanical variable aperture system, like professional cameras.
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The A20 Pro chip represents a leap compared to the previous generation. Its new packaging, inspired by Apple’s M series for Mac computers, connects the A20 Pro directly to a custom vapor chamber, which dissipates heat and boosts multitasking, gaming, and AI. The central processor (CPU) has six cores and, according to Apple, is the fastest in a smartphone. The graphics processor (GPU) has seven cores and is up to 40% faster and more efficient. Its dual neural engine for AI, with 16 cores, doubles the computing power to run artificial intelligence models on the device. It is Apple’s second chip with 2-nanometer technology, after the M6 for Mac presented in August.
As in the previous generation, both the iPhone Duo and the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max have an improved vapor chamber that helps prevent overheating. One absence from the presentation is the standard iPhone 18, or the renewal of the iPhone Air, which was the star a year ago on this same stage. Apple leaves these renewals and that of its cheapest model, the iPhone 18e, for spring.
The new iPhone 18 Pro starts at a price of 1,469 euros and the iPhone Pro Max will be available from 1,619 euros. Both can be reserved from next September 12 and will be available on September 18.
Along with the phones, another launch at this annual event is the watches. The Apple Watch was Tim Cook’s first major launch. In this presentation comes the Apple Watch Series 1, and the Apple Watch Ultra 4, the watch for the most extreme sports activities, which gains autonomy compared to its predecessor.
In both cases, Apple has focused its efforts on health, with a new app called Readiness, which tracks the user’s main data, such as heart rate and blood oxygen levels. Prices for the Apple Watch Series 12 start at 449 euros, and for the Apple Watch Ultra 4, from 889 euros. Additionally, Apple has announced a new generation, the fifth, of the standard AirPods. They cost 149 euros and 169 euros with a wireless charging case.
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